A Warm Glow, A Smile
by XxYesterdayTodayTomorrowxX
Summary: "I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember . . . something about my father. A warm glow. A smile. - The Lightning Thief, page 39" Percy has always assumed that his father knew him as a baby. But did he really? Rated T for child abuse.


**Hey guys! It's me again...**

**This is a little plot bunny that popped in the middle of English class... (Which was a distraction because advanced English class where I come from is absolute heaven on earth! Don't judge. You'd think that too if you live where I live...)**

**So, this is a FatherSon bonding fic, although it has a sad-ish ending (and beginning, for that matter). THIS IS NOT INCEST OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT!**

**So, I hope you enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

**P.S. This is the same story as A Warm Smile. I just accidentally deleted that one and I'm kinda iffy about using the 'Recovery' option.**

* * *

_I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember . . . something about my father. A warm glow. A smile. - The Lightning Thief, page 39_

* * *

A balding man roughly grabbed an eight year old boy's wrist and dragged him to another room.

"You will not talk back to me," he growled and slapped the boy.

"You will not stand up to me," he continued and lifted the boy up by his collar.

"You will not tell on me." Drop.

"You will not cry on me." Kick.

"You will not interrupt me." Shove.

"You will respect me!" the man finished with a roar. He kicked his stepson one last time before joining the boy's mother in bed.

The boy's sea green eyes filled with tears. He forced himself to hold them back. He will not cry. His stepfather said so.

Unsteadily, the boy stood up. Slightly wobbling, he opened the cabin door with shaking hands and stepped out into the beach.

* * *

Walking along the sea, he wondered what he had ever done to his stepfather to deserve this. He stepped into the surf and felt power seeping into his being. Surprised, he sat in the water, realizing that he is completely dry. He sat there pondering. He had never done what his stepfather told him not to do. Sure, Gabe was a pig. Sure, he was always drunk. Sure, Gabe spent his time on the kitchen table playing poker. But Percy has never had a father before, and he would never admit it, but he actually liked Gabe for about the first five minutes.

For the first time in his life, he was mad at his mother. He was mad that she brought that jerk to Montauk with them. This was supposed to be their special place! One only both of them shared. Of course, there were the other people staying in the other cabins, but he didn't mind them. But he _did _mind Gabe.

Percy hugged his knees close. Hot tears started to fall. For a long time, he sat there crying silently.

* * *

From afar, a woman, a Nereid, saw the boy in pain. She watched the child with a look of absolute pity in her eyes. Slowly averting her gaze, she dived into the ocean to tell her lord.

* * *

Percy was now gazing out into the sea, wondering how it must be like to live on the ocean floors. He envied those who could do that, wishing he could do it himself.

Suddenly, the waves became bigger, the current, stronger. Percy watched in amazement as a strong looking man rose up from the sea. In his hand was a silver trident, glowing a green aura of power. The man walked up to him and sat beside him.

"Who are you?" Percy said, glancing up at the man. Messy black hair, like him. Sea green eyes... also like him.

"Are you... Are you my dad?" Percy asks hesitantly. It had to be! Why else would the man look like him, or sit next to him if the man didn't know who he was? But then again, his mother told him that his dad was lost at sea...

"Yes, Perseus. I am your father," the man said.

Percy didn't know if he should feel happy, feel sad, or feel angry. He opted for the sad approach.

"Why? Why come now? After eight years, why come now?" Percy asked the man. "Why did you have to leave in the first place?"

"I had to, Percy. My brother —your uncle— forced me to. He didn't want me seeing you," Poseidon explained sadly.

"I don't think I like my uncle," Percy mumbled.

Poseidon grinned. "I don't like him either." He then noticed the marks on his son's body.

"Percy, what happened?" he asked.

Percy looked down. His feet seemed very interesting right about now. "M-my stepdad, Gabe. He, um, he h-hi-it me," Percy replied.

This angered Poseidon greatly. "_What_?!" he roared. His usual sparkling sea green eyes turned into the color of the ocean during a storm. Percy flinched away, Poseidon's sudden explosion reminding him of Gabe.

The sea god noticed this, and his expression softened. "I'm sorry."

Percy thought that it was strange that he was telling all this to someone he barely knew. But he felt a sort of attraction towards the man. Maybe it was the fact that Percy _knew_ without a doubt that this was his father. Or maybe it was something else. Something that Percy couldn't quite put a finger on.

Poseidon handed him a yellow square of something. "Here," he said. "This will help."

Percy gingerly took the square from his father's hands. He sniffed it, but it had no scent.

"Go ahead. It won't bite. If anything, you'll bite _it_," Poseidon said, amused.

The boy hesitantly bit into the square. He was overwhelmed by the taste. It tasted like cookies. His mom's chocolate chip cookies. He finished it in a short amount of time. Then he realized that his wounds were all gone.

"What was that?" he asked, amazed.

"That was called Ambrosia. The food of the gods. What did it taste like?" Poseidon replied.

"I'm sorry. I should have let you taste it," Percy said sheepishly.

"No, no. Ambrosia tastes different for everyone. It might taste like something to you, but something else to me," Poseidon told his son. "What did it taste like for you?"

"Cookies. Mom's chocolate chip cookies," Percy answered.

Poseidon nodded. "It tastes like that for me too."

* * *

Father and son talked until dawn. They discussed anything and everything. For a moment, it seemed like they have known each other their entire lives. For a moment, it seemed like they really _were_ a normal pair of father and son.

"I have to go," Poseidon said.

"Now? Why? I just got you back! How about mom?" Percy asked.

Poseidon looked sadly at his son. He reached up and put his hand on his son's head.

"Some things just can't be helped," he said in a small voice. He channelled his power into his son and erased his memory of the night.

"I'm so sorry," he said, his voice cracking. "Rest easy, my son."

Percy nodded off, falling asleep on the golden sand.

* * *

"Percy! Percy!" a woman's voice called. She ran over to the sleeping form of her son as soon as she sees him. She shook him awake.

"Percy? Wake up. It's me," she said in a soothing voice.

The boy opened his eyes to see his mother's loving face.

"Mom?" he said.

"Yes, honey," the woman replied.

"Good morning," he told his mother.

"Good morning, sweetheart. What are you doing here?" the woman asked.

The boy tried to remember, but everything was vague. The only thing he could remember was a warm glow. A smile.

"I don't know," he answered.

"Oh, Percy! You had me so worried! Now, come on. Let's go in for breakfast. Then we can go swimming," the woman said.

"Sounds good," the boy replied. Groggily, he stood up and followed his mother inside.

* * *

In the middle of the ocean, a black haired man watched the scene unfold with a look of longing on his god-like face. He dived back into his kingdom, knowing that he will see them both again.

* * *

Four years later, Percy went to Olympus to return his uncle's master bolt.

When he saw his father, he knelt at his feet. That was when he talked to him for the first time in his life.

But what he doesn't know, is that it was not the first time. But he will never remember.

* * *

**Ummm... Hi? Don't kill me for that ending. Please? It was necesarry.**

**So, waddaya think? Was it good? Was it bad? I tried my best on this one.**

**Please leave your thoughts in review form. (Not that there is any other form...) Favs would also be greatly appreciated.**

**All right, I'm making cover pictures for PJO/HoO, HP, THG, TMI, The Iron Fey, Matched and some animes. PM me if you're interested.**

**PLZ REVIEW!**

**~XxYesterdayTodayTomorrowxX**

**P.S. I used to be storyfrikk.**


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